Monday, June 8, 2009

Trattoria: A trattoria (trah-tor-EE-uh) is an Italian-style eating establishment, less formal than a ristorante, but more formal than an osteria.

Dustin’s birthday celebration continued all through the weekend with lots of yummy food and couch potato sports. We watched the entire 4th season of Weeds in 3 days — we love that show! lol The party foods resumed the very next day with homemade pizza, baked chicken wings, and deviled eggs. The wings and eggs were supposed to be appetizers earlier in the day of the party, but one thing lead to another and they were postponed. When I was picking up his cake at the bakery, I saw that they had balls of frozen pizza dough for .99 cents each, so I picked up 2 of them.

I decided to try something new: Thick crust pizza baked at a high temp (550F degrees). It turned out AWESOME!

My plates: 1/3 of the pizza, leftover broccoli, ~2 TBSP Bolthouse Farms blue cheese dressing, 4 baked chicken wings (200 cal, 50 cal each) with 1 tsp Frank’s Red Hot sauce, and 1 deviled egg

Best homemade pizza ever! Probably because I didn’t make the dough. But what I did do was:

1.) Preheated the oven as high as it goes. Ours goes up to 550F.
2.) I shaped the dough on a baking sheet lined with nonstick foil, then I baked it for 6 minutes without any toppings on it. It was a thick crust and I didn’t want the cheese to burn before the crust was cooked.
3.) I took it out, let it cool for a minute, rubbed EVOO over the top, then added on: sliced plum tomato, fresh mozzarella and dried Italian seasoning.
4.) Popped it back in the oven for about 7 minutes
5.) When it was done, I added fresh basil to the top.

I don’t know how many calories were in it, but boy was it GOOOOOD! It tasted just like pizza from a pizza parlor. Loved it!

The next day we decided to try garlic knots with my new high-heat oven method. The dough was already made, so all I had to do was:

1.) Preheat the oven to 550F degrees
2.) Cut small pieces of the dough, roll them out so that they are long and skinny-ish, then tie them in a knot
3.) Bake on baking sheet lined with nonstick foil for about 6-8 minutes, watch for burning
4.) When they are done, drizzle with EVOO, minced fresh garlic, herbs of choice and grated parmesan and/or pecorino romano cheese

They came out FANTASTIC! We had sides of Franceso Rinaldi no salt added tomato sauce on the side for dipping and I had a salad of mixed lettuces tossed in 1 tsp EVOO and vinegar, with leftover devil eggs, 1 TBSP Bolthouse Farms blue cheese dressing, a plum tomato and some red onion:

Crispy on the outside, soft and doughy on the inside. Mmmmm! Simple, yet satisfying and tasty.

Later on I made a stuffed pita sandwich on a Joseph’s Heart Healthy pita (60 cal). I had given these up for awhile because they are high in sodium (300mg each) and they contain Splenda (sucralose), but when I saw them in the store the other day, I couldn’t resist when I felt how soft they were and for only 60 calories, I think I can bend my own rules for them.

I cut the pita in half, spread a little Hellmann’s olive oil mayo inside, then stuffed 1 half with 1 slice Applegate Farms smoked turkey (30 cal) and the other with 1 slice Applegate Farms ham (30 cal). Then added in thinly sliced red onion, alfalfa sprouts and a sliced plum tomato:

On the side: a big handful of Kettle Bakes lightly salted baked potato chips. I’d estimate it to be just about or less than a 1 oz serving (120 cal)

Salt overload Sooo yummy though! Calorie estimate: Between 300-320 calories for pita + chips.

On Sunday I was woke up to the intoxicating aroma of mommy’s tomato sauce. *drools* I swear I could drink eat it right out of the pot using bread as my utensil of choice lol. With a fresh pot of sauce, I knew there was a bowl of pasta in my immediate future.

The sauce had red bell peppers and lean boneless pork chops in it, so I decided on whole wheat spaghetti for my pasta shape.

Topped with fresh basil and parsley straight from my AeroGarden. The fresh herbs smelled SO wonderful. I also had a bottle of POM Wonderful with this. Some people like a glass of wine, but I really enjoy this even more. (If you missed my POM Wonderful post the other day, scroll down)

Delish! Then again, I can’t think of a pasta dish that wasn’t. haha

Well, I’m up about 3 lbs on the scale since Dustin’s birthday. Not too bad considering the amount of food, sodium and drinks I’ve ingested in the past few days. Starting today: NO MORE MOUTH PARTIES UNTIL 4th of July!! I have to keep my sodium in check, exercise and stay within my calories for at least a few weeks before I take another “free day.” Planning and keeping busy will be key. I noticed that the past few days that I get extra snacky when we’re watching a lot of TV and otherwise being lazy. On days that I exercise, work and have a zillion things to do I have a hard time getting enough calories in. So, bring on the chaos!

*is already regretting what she wished for*

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